Land Acquisition for TAPI Gas Pipeline Project to Begin Soon

The Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India natural gas
pipeline requires a 600km by 44meters area of land, as per the plan.

Practical work on land acquisition for the project is
expected to kick off this week, according to the Afghan Ministry of Urban
Development and Land.

Ministry’s spokesperson Hashmatullah Nasiri said that the
regulation in this regard has been finalized and after its approval, work
begins on acquisition, registration, survey, right of ownership and
resettlement of those who reside on the route of the project.

The $10 billion pipeline connects the energy-rich central
Asian nation to some of the strongest growth markets in South Asia.

The pipeline will transfer Turkmenistan’s electricity to Pakistan
through Afghanistan. Three substations will be established in Herat, Farah and
Kandahar provinces of Afghanistan.

Afghanistan will annually get 500 million cubic meters
of gas from the project in the first ten years. The amount will increase to one
billion cubic meters of gas in the following ten years and 1.5 billion cubic
meters of gas in the third 10 years after the completion of the project.

In addition, Afghanistan is expected to earn USD 110mn
annually from the project.

The project also includes an optic fiber which will connect
regional and neighboring countries. A highway connecting Pakistan and Turkmenistan
through Afghanistan is also part of the project.